"Looking at Carroll" Part II Page 5

Page 5

The Post Office was in the Holmes store, in charge of Meredith Aldred, son of Dr. A. T. Aldred, a fine young man who died during the typhoid epidemic. Above the Holmes store was Fred Oberle’s tailor shop, where many good suits were made to measure. Mr. Holmes carried the yard goods on the first floor and several of the town girls worked there. These included Minerva Fenstermaker, wife of William Coffman, Rose Plogerman, wife of Henry Holmes, Jennie Owens, wife of Herbert Havens (who later made their home in Fort Wayne, Indiana), Emma Brandt, sister of O. B. and Jonathan Brandt, Lottie Justice, who died very young, Estella Saylor, Ella Ebright and Hesse Ebright, wife of A. T. Aldred. Two young men, Charles Oberle and Charlie Gorham, also worked here.

In this same building Richard (Dick) Gorham had a drug store, which he later sold to A. Z. Converse. Mr. Converse’s son worked with him and both were fine musicians. Mrs. Converse was an artist and writer, a lady of unusual charm and talent, devoted to the building of good character among the young people of Carroll. They had a young son, Clarence, whom we called Kiddie. The singing of this family would thrill you. Mr Converse later had the post office, where his wife’s niece, Anna Wood from Marysville, Ohio, and Miss Mary Winter served as clerks. Mr. Converse retired about 1894 and went to Chatanooga, Tennessee, to live, which was a great loss to Carroll.

After the death of Wesley Holmes, Harry Holmes Brandt, a nephew who had been a clerk in the store, became the owner and manager of a business which flourished until a fire left the business a complete loss. Because of ill health he did not rebuild, but became township clerk, also town clerk and treasurer. His widow, Zaidee, resides in their lovely home. Alice Kindler is a great-niece of Mr.Holmes, and Mrs.Leota Bender lives in his former home.

The Nathaniel Havens Shoe shop was also in the Weaver block. Sargent Rowe had a cobbler shop in the barber shop nest to this building. There were two barber shops at thid time, run by Al Binder of Lancaster and Tippy Howe, a very dressy gentleman of the old school. Carroll had plenty of barber shop music at this time. After them came the Tibbs brothers, Fred, George and Roy, colored gentlemen of the old school and a credit to their race. Fred was married to a lovely girl from Zanesville, Josephine.

The Tibbs brothers sold out to the Kiner brothers, Chester, the owner, assisted by Elmer, Clarence an Isaac. The were also colored gentlemen, good singes and musicians and had one fine barbershop quartet. They were the brothers of our Jim Kiner, the famous ball player of his day with the Carroll Blues. It just would not be Carroll without him. One by one these brothers died of tuberculosis. Chester went to Denver, Colorado, in hope of being cured. He died in March 1908 and his body rests in the Carroll Cemetery. They had a sister Anna and were the children of John and Fanny Kiner, members of our Methodist Episcopal Church.